Most people, when faced with life challenges such as grief — especially in an unexpected way, they may start to feel that something is not quite right. One of the changes they may notice is losing interest in food or turning to it for comfort. For many, this is normal, it’s how our nervous system partly reacts when we’re anxious, sad, or distressed.
The goal of this article is to help you understand that when our eating habits change, shifts in how we feel may follow.
How does mood influence appetite biologically?
To understand why this happens, it helps to look at what’s going on in the brain. Serotonin and dopamine are brain chemicals whose levels often drop when we go through hard times. As a result, changes in eating habits can affect your mood. For example, if you experience rejection, such as not getting a job, you may feel disappointed and sad.
Hormones like cortisol can be affected too. Their levels rise when we’re stressed or anxious, which in turn can confuse our nervous system about whether we’re actually hungry or not. This means that, when the levels of our brain chemicals change, emotions can influence and change our eating habits before we even notice.
Why do some people lose their appetite when feeling low or anxious?
As the chemicals take effect, they can affect our emotions and how we function day to day. On difficult days, even simple tasks like cooking something to eat or tidying your room can feel much more challenging than usual.
Even when you’re hungry, you may have little interest in food. This isn’t random, it’s often linked to low mood or anxiety, which can affect how your nervous system functions.
The mind and body are closely connected. Anxiety can create a knot in your stomach, and when your body is tense, digestion can feel off. As a result, you might go for hours without noticing that you’re hungry.
Why do others experience increased appetite or emotional eating?
Whether you eat more or less largely depends on how your nervous system has learned to respond in familiar situations. When you’re feeling emotionally unwell, your body may crave sugar or high-carb snacks for quick energy.
This can often, and partly unconsciously, lead to mindless snacking even when you’re not truly hungry. This phenomenon is known as emotional eating, as we try to find emotional comfort in food.
How can you recognise patterns between mood and eating habits?
You can better understand what is going on by observing how emotional changes affect your eating habits. In particular, looking at how much you eat, what you eat, and your portion sizes can help you better understand the impact of your eating habits on your mood.
This understanding can be especially helpful over specific periods. For example, noticing what makes you feel anxious or sad within a given period of time can help you better understand whether what you’re dealing with is a passing phase or something that needs deeper attention.
When do appetite changes suggest a mental health concern?
If you start to notice that you feel unwell and your body feels unstable while gaining or losing weight, it may be a sign that you need to take it seriously. Especially if these changes last for a long rtime and begin to affect not only your overall wellbeing but also how you cope with daily life.
However, such changes rarely come alone. You may also notice a shift in how you feel. For example, you might start feeling sad or depressed after a separation. Anxiety may follow as well, especially if you begin to worry about being alone in the future. These changes may be your body’s way of trying to communicate with you.
Rather than viewing these changes as personal failures, we can see them as signals, pointing to unmet needs, unresolved emotions, or nervous system overload.
Dr Comfort Shields, Doctify-reviewed Clinical Psychologist
What simple steps can help stabilise appetite during mood changes?
What can we do to return to our normal eating habits? We can start by having regular, small, nutritious meals. For instance, you might have a bowl of Greek yogurt with honey, nuts, and a piecie of fruit, or grilled chicken with rice and steamed vegetables, while also drinking plenty of water.
This can help your body feel more steady and energised throughout the day. Maintaining this routine can help ‘reboot’ your nervous system and make a difference in how you feel and think.
This can be further supported by bringing in other lifestyle changes, such as good-quality sleep, light exercise (like jogging), and relaxation practices such as meditation.
Conclusion
Don’t ignore changes in the way you eat when they stick around, especially when they’re persistent and affect your emotional wellbeing. Professional support at the right time can go a long way in protecting your physical and mental health.
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Medically Reviewed
Last reviewed on 25/03/2026
